Mailu vs imapsync
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted mail servers options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Not the right match-up?
Mailu
Simple yet full-featured Docker mail server
VS
imapsync
Synchronization and migration tool between IMAP accounts
| Feature | Mailu | imapsync |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Mail Servers | Mail Servers |
| License | MIT | GPL-3.0 |
| Language | Python | Shell |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 2,048 MB | 64 MB |
| Deployment | docker, kubernetes | binary, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 7,443 | ★ 4,118 |
| First released | 2016 | 2003 |
| Replaces | Google Workspace, Microsoft 365 | IMAP migration services |
Why pick each one
Choose imapsync if…
- Released under the GPL-3.0 license
- Active community (4.1k GitHub stars)
- Written in Shell
- Tiny footprint — runs in 64 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is Mailu or imapsync better?
Neither is universally better. Mailu has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Mailu and imapsync free and open-source?
Yes. Mailu is licensed under MIT and imapsync under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Mailu and imapsync with Docker?
Mailu: yes. imapsync: check the project docs for container support.